The Good News, Bad News for UH & Rice 2013 – Right Now.

The good news/bad news for the fast approaching football seasons for UH and Rice starts right now.

Tony Levine leads UH into its first season in the American Athletic Conference.

Good News for the Cougars.

No longer associated with Conference DOA.

Bad News for the Owls.

Still associated with Conference DOA. Now with Florida Atlantic and Florida International, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss, North Texas and Texas-San Antonio and still Texas-El Paso. On the come are Charlotte, Old Dominion and Western Kentucky. Why bother. And to think as recently as 2005 Louisville was repping this league at the Final Four.

Bad News for the Cougars.

Their conference upgrade to what has devolved into a reinvented American Athletic doesn’t carry near the weight that the original Big East had promised. More like a C-USA 2.0 with the ‘Ville and Rutgers on the way out and Tulane, Tulsa and East Carolina on the way in. But still preferable to the Sun Belt-like setting smoldering in their departure.

Good News for the Cougars.

The days of dilapidated Robertson Stadium are done. The new digs debut in one year. The temporary home turf is split three ways among the four games at Reliant and single stops with BBVA Compass and Rice.

Bad News for the Cougars.

Regardless of the venue that home slate offers largely fifth-rate attractions. Southern (seriously?), Rice (Bayou Bucket), Memphis and South Florida (no choice). BYU and Cincinnati bring casual interest. And the close-out with SMU. That’s it. Sort of sad. But that SWC redux figures to be the grand regular-season finale of 2009 Gatorade National High School Player of the Year Garrett Gilbert. Good seats available. Good seats will remain available. Across the board. Up to kickoff.

Bad News for the Cougars.

Blur-of-a-back Charles Sims transfers to West Virginia. There is no suitable substitute.

David Bailiff returns 10 starters on defense for 2013.

Good News for the Owls.

Ten starters return on defense.

Bad News for the Owls.

A defense extremely lean on legacy. Bulldozed for at least 48 points 35 times since the starts of the 2000 season.

A rare slice of national spotlight brings a mid-November smackdown at should be-undefeated Louisville with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater swirling in the Heisman mix hunting a stop-and-see stat show. It won’t be pretty.

Bad News for the Owls.

An even rarer slice of national spotlight comes the very first Saturday of the season at preseason top-10 A&M with one-man news cycle Johnny Slingin’ Sign ‘em Show ‘em Football Rock Star. Manziel figures to be in full manic mode. Sumlin won’t silence the assault until the count reaches 60. Or 70. It won’t be pretty.

Good News for Cougars head honcho Tony Levine.

No longer forced into sleeping accommodations in nearby morgue. So was the case during his early assistant days at then-Southwest Texas St. It was quiet.

Bad News for Cougars Tony Levine.

His head coaching career may require embalming with another jaw-dropping loss similar to the bumbling 2012 debut with Texas State. History obviously will not repeat with Southern. But Southern? Seriously?

David Bailiff received a three-year contract extension following Rice’s second bowl win in five years.

Good News for Owls head honcho David Bailiff.

Kicks into the season with a new three-year contract extension ($600,000 per, give or take) after a second bowl win in five seasons. In its history Rice had previously racked a total of four bowl wins, all requiring carbon dating, three with Jess Neely between 1946-53.

Best New for the Cougars.

The festivities can’t help but improve from Levine’s first season flameout. They will not allow four defensive touchdowns to SMU. Nor 56 straight points over two consecutive games. Nor 41-0 in a third. They will win their first five games, only to drop their next six, before salvaging break-even for the bowl thanks to four interceptions on Gilbert for the slap on SMU. Nothing like Birmingham the first week of January to get knocked around by an SEC after-thought.

Best News for the Owls.

An 0-3 stumble out of the blocks. No need for a 5-1 resurrection ride this time. soft schedule and 19 returning starters means matching last years seven wins. Before the bowl. And a second straight bowl. For the first time. Since 1960-61. Wow.